Zha was born in an impoverished family in Haining, Zhejiang Province during the late Ming dynasty.
Zha then went into retirement in present-day Xiashi District in Haining, Zhejiang Province.
In 1661, Zha was implicated in a case of literary inquisition involving a merchant, Zhuang Tinglong, who had sponsored the publication of an unauthorised book on the history of the Ming dynasty because Zha had helped to proofread the book before it was published.
Two historical texts – Lang Qian Ji Wen (郎潛紀聞) and Ming Shi Ji Shi Ben Mo (明史紀事本末) – mentioned that Zha was responsible for reporting the unauthorised book to the Qing government.
[5] Zha Jizuo appears as a minor character in one of Jin Yong's novels, The Deer and the Cauldron.